Manchester Jazz Festival

A fresh identity for the 2016 festival

Manchester Jazz Festival (MJF) is an established event on the city’s cultural calendar, with a high-profile presence in the city centre. The festival attracts 20,000 visitors on average over ten days of musical celebration, with approximately 56,000 people passing through the Albert Square site during the festival period. As an artist-led, non-profit company with charitable status, mjf champions regional artists while bringing the best of contemporary jazz to Manchester from around the world.

The brief

“Help the festival appeal to a diverse audience, reaching out to both jazz enthusiasts and people who may not have encountered or considered jazz before.”

Upp B2B was first appointed in 2015 to develop a creative identity to celebrate the festival’s 20th anniversary event. Following a successful campaign, we were approached in 2016 to be mjf’s creative partner for the second year running.

We carried out a research project to explore people’s attitudes to jazz and discovered some negative opinions stemming from misconceptions and a lack of exposure to the genre. It was decided that the creative work should meet a key objective: promoting the festival by encouraging people to think differently about jazz music.

We were tasked with the design and creation of a new visual identity to be rolled out across all festival marketing materials, as well as providing marketing support before, during and after the festival.

The brief

“Help the festival appeal to a diverse audience, reaching out to both jazz enthusiasts and people who may not have encountered or considered jazz before.”

Upp B2B was first appointed in 2015 to develop a creative identity to celebrate the festival’s 20th anniversary event. Following a successful campaign, we were approached in 2016 to be mjf’s creative partner for the second year running.

We carried out a research project to explore people’s attitudes to jazz and discovered some negative opinions stemming from misconceptions and a lack of exposure to the genre. It was decided that the creative work should meet a key objective: promoting the festival by encouraging people to think differently about jazz music.

We were tasked with the design and creation of a new visual identity to be rolled out across all festival marketing materials, as well as providing marketing support before, during and after the festival.

The delivery

We developed a creative campaign to tackle common misconceptions surrounding the genre based on a simple but direct idea – ‘Rethink Jazz’, asking the public to refresh and reconsider their view of the music.

Our creative team succeeded in bringing a bold, youthful and energetic visual identity to the 2016 campaign, underpinned by abstract design elements to symbolise the convergence of different music styles and approaches that the festival represents.

The eye-catching creative identity was rolled out across the mjf website and brochure, as well as appearing on print posters, flyers and digital screens around Manchester city centre.

The delivery

We developed a creative campaign to tackle common misconceptions surrounding the genre based on a simple but direct idea – ‘Rethink Jazz’, asking the public to refresh and reconsider their view of the music.

Our creative team succeeded in bringing a bold, youthful and energetic visual identity to the 2016 campaign, underpinned by abstract design elements to symbolise the convergence of different music styles and approaches that the festival represents.

The eye-catching creative identity was rolled out across the mjf website and brochure, as well as appearing on print posters, flyers and digital screens around Manchester city centre.

Kind words and warm applause

“We were really impressed with Upp B2B’s creative approach in 2015 and 2016, and the campaigns saw great results. We were struck by the team’s enthusiasm and fresh ideas, together with their commitment to making the festival a success. Their responsiveness and dedication to each element of our brief helped the festival to run smoothly and successfully.”Diane Herrod – Marketing Manager, Manchester Jazz Festival

Kind words and warm applause

“We were really impressed with Upp B2B’s creative approach in 2015 and 2016, and the campaigns saw great results. We were struck by the team’s enthusiasm and fresh ideas, together with their commitment to making the festival a success. Their responsiveness and dedication to each element of our brief helped the festival to run smoothly and successfully.”Diane Herrod – Marketing Manager, Manchester Jazz Festival